| Anyone who has been involved in a car accident | | | | Monterey car accident attorney Emery Ledger. |
| knows that the impact that accident has on you | | | | While the type and extent of physical injuries do |
| is not just physical. It can have a devastating | | | | play a part in determining the amount of |
| financial and emotional impact as well. With over | | | | non-economic damages that a Plaintiff is entitled |
| six million car accidents a year in the United | | | | to, there are other factors that you must take |
| States – and an average of 1500 of those | | | | into account as well. For instance, the age, |
| being in County alone – millions of people are | | | | health, education and financial status of the victim |
| affected by car accidents every year. At some | | | | before the accident are factors that your car |
| point in the process of healing, most people begin | | | | accident attorney will look at before determining |
| to ask what compensation that are entitled to as | | | | the potential value of your case. As you may |
| a result of the car accident. According to car | | | | imagine, a professional model that is received an |
| accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger | | | | injury that will leave a scar for the rest of her life |
| & Associates, compensation for car | | | | has lost more – financially speaking – than |
| accidents falls into two broad categories – | | | | someone else in the same situation. Another |
| economic and non-economic. Under certain | | | | example is a mother that spent her days at |
| circumstances, punitive damages can also be | | | | home with her small children before the accident |
| awarded, but those situations are rare so we will | | | | and will be unable to care for them as a result of |
| focus on the most common categories. Economic | | | | injuries suffered in the accident. When |
| damages are out of pocket expenses such as | | | | determining the value of non-economic damages, |
| medical bills or lost wages from your job. So | | | | the victim can be as important as the injuries. |
| what are non-economic damages? | | | | After assessing all of the above, the value of |
| Under the laws of the State of California, | | | | non-economic damages boils down to what a jury |
| non-economic damages can include any or all of | | | | would likely award you if your case were to go |
| the following: physical pain – both past an | | | | to trial. In California, a jury has the last say |
| future; physical impairment; mental suffering; loss | | | | when determining damages. The best thing you |
| of enjoyment of life; disfigurement; emotional | | | | can do is to consult with an experienced car |
| suffering; inconvenience; grief; anxiety; humiliation; | | | | accident attorney at the start of your case to |
| and loss of consortium (loss of spousal | | | | try and evaluate what the value of your |
| companionship and services). These are what | | | | non-economic damages are. An experienced |
| most people think of as "pain and suffering". As | | | | Monterey car accident attorney has settled and |
| you can see though, the category is much | | | | tried cases similar to yours before and has a |
| broader than just pain and suffering. | | | | much better idea what your case is ultimately |
| Non-economic damages are much harder to | | | | worth. |
| calculate and are extremely case specific, says | | | | |